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• The government responded by detaining the dissenters or Satvagrahis. 60000
Indians were arrested and various high rank leaders of Congress including
Gandhiji were arrested.
• An American magazine, ‘Time’, was initially doubtful on the strength of Gandhiji
and wrote that Salt March would not be successful. But latter it wrote that this
march made the British rulers ‘desperately anxious’.
• These rulers were now started considering Gandhiji as a ‘Saint’ and ‘Statesman’,
who was using Christian acts as a weapon against men with Christian beliefs.

Significance of Dandi March:

• Davdi March was very significant for at least three reasons:
o It brought Mahatma Gandhi and India to attention of the world.
o It was the first National Movement in which women participation was really
very notable. Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, a socialist leader persuaded
Gandhi not to restrict movement to men alone. Many women including
Kamladevi broke salt and liquor laws and courted arrest.
o Third and most significant was that this movement forced the British to
realise that their Raj would not last forever and they need to devolve some
power to Indians.
• In January, 1931 Gandhiji was released from jail and afterwards many meetings
between Gandhi and Irwin took place and these meetings ended in a Gandhi-Irwin
pact. Through this pact Civil Disobedience Movement would be called off, political
prisoner will be released and salt manufacturers can make salt near coast. This
pact was criticised by radical nationalist, as Gandhiji was unable to obtain
commitment of political Independence for Indians.
• In later part of 1931, Gandhiji went to attend Second Round Table Conference as
representative of Congress and he said his party represent all of India but his
claim was countered by Muslim league, Princely states and BR
• So, this conference remained inconclusive. Gandhiji returned to India dejected
and resume Civil Disobedience Movement.
• In 1935, a Government of India Act came and it promised some part of
representative government. Two years later, elections were held and out of 11
provinces in 8 provinces Congress government were formed. However in 1939,
Congress government resigned from office as British declined their offer of
cooperation in the war in lieu of granting freedom to India after the end of war.
• In 1940 and 1941 Congress organised individual Satyagraha to pressure the
government. In 1940, Muslim league passed the resolution demanding autonomy
for the Muslim-majority areas of the subcontinent. Now, whole struggle became
complicated and took a shape of three way struggle between British, Congress
and Muslim league.
• In 1942, Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a mission under Stafford Cripps to
India to try and forge a compromise with Congress and Gandhiji. However, talks
broke down when Congress offered, it will help the British to defend India from
Axis powers. Then the viceroy had to appoint an Indian as the Defence member of
his Executive Council.